The
Rajasthani Sammelan Education Trust (RSET) celebrated 'Women in Literature'
with Padma Shri Bhawana Somaaya and India’s favourite biographer Reeta
Ramamurthy Gupta.
Two women authors connected by a
common thread- the Prime Minister of India. Bhawana Somaaya’s English
translation of Modi’s Gujarati book ‘ Aankh Aa Dhanya Chhe’ titled ‘Letters
to Self’ released in 2022. Reeta Ramamurthy Gupta’s book ‘Sanjeev
Kumar-The Actor We All Loved’, also released in 2022, has a cover blurb by
the PM as follows- “he was a natural, one of the most powerful actors.”
The Rajasthani Sammelan Education
Trust (RSET)’s Ramniwas Bajaj High School brought the two women
authors together under the umbrella theme 'women in literature.’ Moderated
deftly by Principal Florina Fernandes, the session focused on how women have
added a unique flavor to literature.
Discussing the feminine voice, Gupta
pointed out that in the history of literature, despite the fact that Jane
Austen wrote as a woman, fifty years after her, Mary Ann Evans wrote as George
Eliot.The journey over time for women authors has been fraught with challenges.
Bhawana Somaaya, who has beautifully
captured the rawness of Narendra Modi’s writings and the intensity of his
emotions in her book, encouraged the young to read. She said, “the young
generation have to find their own inspirations. Whatever they choose- be it
fiction, thriller, I will be happy as soon as they are reading. When I used to
teach journalism, I used to tell all the students that you must read at least
100 pages everyday and you must write at least 1000 words everyday and you must
learn 5 words from the dictionary everyday and then try to use them even if
your friends say you are a boaster.”
The hour-long discussion in a packed
hall drew over a hundred students. Gupta summed up, “remember
that reading is not an academic skill, it's a life skill!”
Fun fact; not a single child yawned
despite it being an afternoon session!
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